Latest wins: President and CEO update - August 2024
Welcome to our monthly President and CEO update where we highlight our recent wins, latest advocacy efforts, media opportunities, and campaign updates.
RECENT WINS
Five AMA Queensland members elected to Federal Council
Congratulations to our members Drs Sarah Coll, Xavier Yu, Jasmine Davis and Ekta Paw and A/Prof Gregory Duncombe who have been elected to the AMA Federal Council.
The Council comprises five practice groups and 12 specialty group representatives, seven state nominees, three ordinary members, one independent representative and a representative each for the Australian Medical Students’ and the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Associations.
Elected representatives across the five practice groups include private specialists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, radiologists and other physicians.
Three AMA Queensland members honoured at AMA24
We are pleased to announce that three AMA Queensland members were honoured for their contribution to healthcare at the AMA24 National Conference.
The conference, held on the Gold Coast over the first few days of August, featured a packed program of keynote speakers, networking opportunities and workshops, all leading up to the Gala Dinner where members from around the country were honoured for their contribution to healthcare.
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and clinician Prof Caroline de Costa AM was awarded the 2024 AMA Gold Medal for her leadership in reproductive, Pacific and Indigenous health in regional Australia.
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM has been honoured with the 2024 Diversity in Medicine Award for his outstanding contribution to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the medical field.
Anaesthetist, researcher and teacher Prof André Van Zundert has been awarded the 2024 AMA Excellence in Healthcare Award in recognition of his commitment to medicine, research, teaching and volunteering.
ADVOCACY EFFORTS
Whooping cough vaccine
Last month we wrote to Health Minister Shannon Fentiman and Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard calling for the whooping cough vaccine to be made free for people not currently covered under the National Immunisation Program.
As of 28 July 2024, Queensland has recorded 6,199 whooping cough cases.
The program would align with those included in the Queensland Budget for influenza, Meningococcal B and RSV, help to reduce rates of infection and ease pressure on limited stocks of mycoplasma antibiotics.
While the government has decided against making the vaccine free for more groups, it recognises the need to boost vaccination in eligible cohorts and has asked for our support in this endeavour.
MEDIA
The importance of discussing medications with your GP
In response to a proposed class action by Shine Lawyers against proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) we spoke to ABC Radio about anticipated patient concerns.
The legal action is claiming a scientifically proven connection between PPIs and different forms of cancers or kidney failures – a claim that is likely to cause distress for patients currently taking the medication.
We reassured patients that while most medications have some side effects, PPIs have been around for decades, their side effects are relatively mild and they have been a life changer for much of the population.
The best thing for anyone who has concerns about their medication to do is to have that conversation with their GP.
PAs won't solve our workforce shortage
We are preparing our response to the Queensland Health proposal to employ more physician’s assistants (PAs) in our public hospitals.
We remain concerned about the impact on patient safety and appropriate training opportunities for junior doctors should this proposal go ahead.
Queensland has a workforce shortage in doctors, nurses, paramedics and other specialists across the whole health system. However, rather than band-aid fixes, we need long-term solutions to ensure that we can continue caring for all Queensland patients.
As there is no university program for PAs in Australia, we anticipate they will be recruited internationally, including from the UK and the US. PAs will not be registered under AHPRA and competency standards are still unclear.
The program also has the potential to worsen our workforce shortage. PAs usually perform tasks currently undertaken by our junior doctors as part of their essential training. PAs must not threaten our future medical workforce pipeline.
Read the ABC TV interview transcript
Read the ABC Radio interview transcript
Leave decisions to clinicians
After claims from hospital doctors of interference by senior executives in clinical decision making, we spoke with 4BC Radio about the importance of leaving decisions to clinicians.
We acknowledge there are great challenges currently facing our healthcare system, from ramping and hospital flow to aged care access. However, patient safety is paramount and can only be assured when doctors are free to do their jobs.
Central to this is independent clinical decision-making that is unimpeded by executive interference, especially where such interference is for non-clinical reasons such as meeting key performance indicators (KPIs) for data reporting.
Health service accountability, including the reporting of KPIs, is essential but it is vital that this data accurately reflects the true conditions in our hospitals. If it does not then data-driven, evidence-based improvements cannot be made since issues are obscured from both policy-makers and the community.
Pressure must not be placed on our hardworking doctors and nurses to find creative workarounds to make reporting statistics looks better. This risks our patients and further burdens our stressed health workforce.
Mandatory health check ups
In response to AHPRA’s proposal to introduce mandatory health checkups for doctors over 70, AMA Queensland President Dr Nick Yim told ABC Radio that any new regulations must not discriminate against any group.
Doctors are just as prone to health issues as their patients and it is important that doctors of all ages have, and regularly see, their own GP.
However, AHPRA already has mandatory reporting for doctors of all categories and additional barriers could force them into earlier retirement.
We must retain as many health practitioners as we can by supporting them to continue working safely, including our experienced, late career doctors.
We also acknowledge the importance of protecting patients, and support evidence-based, fair and consistent health checks and the Board’s option to rely on existing guidance.
OUR CAMPAIGNS
Surgical Waitlist Roundtable update
AMA Queensland’s Surgical Wait List Roundtable held its fifth meeting on 6 August.
The Roundtable is identifying solutions to inequitable elective surgery wait times for regional and rural Queenslanders and includes clinicians from across the state.
Priority actions have included reviewing existing research and models prioritising specialties and locations and identifying future data needs.
It is on track to release its Action Plan recommendations ahead of the October state election.
